Public Health

Body parts and toxic waste still piled up at abandoned medical base

10.01.19: The state of the abandoned medical base of the disposal firm at the centre of the NHS waste stockpiling scandal has been revealed, with body parts and clinical waste remaining piled up and untreated on the site since it stopped trading in Decemb...

NHS 10-year plan: up to 500,000 lives targeted to be saved with prevention and early detection schemes

07.01.19: A commitment to save as many as 500,000 more lives over the next decade through detection and early prevention was one of the headlines of the long-awaited NHS 10-year plan announced by prime minister Theresa May today. Described as the &ld...

Hospitals are coping better with festive pressures and are ‘better equipped’ for winter crisis

03.01.19: The NHS seems to be coping better with winter pressures this year with fewer A&E closures and ambulance delays than this point last year as health chiefs say the health service has been “better equipped” for winter by an extra &p...

New wave of technologies puts surgery ‘on verge of transformative change’

07.12.18: A new wave of technologies will transform surgery across the NHS with advances in digital technology and human biology improving the treatment of millions of patients, according to an independent commission. The Commission on the Future of...

‘Transformational’ genome sequencing project reaches 100,000 patients target

06.12.18: Matt Hancock has announced that the world’s largest gene sequencing project in healthcare has reached its original target of sequencing 100,000 whole genomes from NHS patients. People with rare diseases, cancer patients, and family me...

AI diagnosis and national study included in new early disease detection £1.3bn deal

05.12.18: A £1.3bn investment from the government and the industry has been announced in a bid to drive early disease technology as part of the new Life Sciences Sector Deal. The second ever Life Sciences Sector Deal, announced by Matt Hancock...

NHS England and NHSI to give Healthwatch ‘significant investment’

27.11.18: NHS England and NHS Improvement are to give “significant investment” to Healthwatch England in order to support local Healthwatch to “ensure the views of patients and the public are heard.” The money will be used to...

‘Deep-rooted’ poor health in the Northern Powerhouse depriving the region of £13bn a year

22.11.18: Poor health in the north relative to the rest of the UK has a major impact on the area’s productivity, according to a report from six northern universities. The Northern Health Science Alliance (NHSA) study said that tackling the nort...

Primary care merger for Greater Manchester halted after CCG leaders report a ‘lack of trust’

14.11.18: Plans to create a single primary care organisation for Greater Manchester have been halted after an independent review found “fierce criticism” of previous leadership and reported “anger,” “confusion” and a &l...

NHS Emergency care is now in ‘all year crisis,’ BMA warns

07.11.18: NHS emergency care services are struggling to cope with a “year-round crisis” which is damaging patient care, the British Medical Association (BMA) has warned. The BMA’s new analysis of NHS England data shows that emergenc...

People must take more responsibility for their own health to take strain off NHS, says Hancock

05.11.18: The health secretary has urged people to take more responsibility for managing their own health and improve their lifestyle choices in a speech launching plans to prevent ill health. Matt Hancock, speaking to the International Association o...

Scottish NHS found to be ‘not financially sustainable’ in damning audit report

25.10.18: Scotland’s NHS’s performance is “in decline” and needs to urgently move away from “short-term fire-fighting” in the battle against unsustainable funding, an official audit report has warned. Audit Scotlan...

Public Health England launches efficiency tool to target cost-effective CVD prevention

25.10.18: Public Health England (PHE) have unveiled a new return on investment (RoI) tool to help local commissioners decide the best cost-effective approach to prevent cardiovascular disease (CVD), one of the leading causes of death and disability in the...

Premature mortality is double in UK’s most deprived areas as new health study reveals worrying health inequality

25.10.18: The rates of premature mortality are two times higher in England’s most deprived areas compared to the most affluent areas, a new report analysing health standards locally and nationally has found. Rates of premature mortality were fo...

Public health services need £3.2bn funding to reverse impact of government cuts

24.10.18: An extra £3.2bn is needed each year to reverse the impact that government cuts to the public health grant has had on health services. The public health grant – which enables local authorities to deliver vital public services suc...